November 2017 Geocacher Profile

The Membership Relations Committee is happy to showcase some ArkGeo Geocachers through the "Geocacher Profile". The committee thought The O'Malley Family aka HogWildFamilyof6 should be the next cachers to be in the spotlight.

What is your geocaching name? HogWildFamilyof6 (2 children have their own- GeoWildChild and Noswad Yellamo
How did you choose your handle? We are a hog callin, Razorback cheerin’ wild family of 6, so what else would we be called? Our youngest daughter was named the geowildchild by our geo buddy FattRobb because she was always going wild ready to jump out of the car and find the cache and Noswad is our son (Dawson O’Malley) spelled backwards cuz he is a backwards kind of guy.

How long have you been geocaching? We started caching January 29, 2011.

How did you find your first Geocache, and which one was it? The cache name is ‘Come on in’. On 1/29/11, it was 72 degrees outside and I googled “fun things to do outside with the kids” since it was so nice on a winter day. Geocaching was the first thing to pop up. We had no cell phones and no knowledge of what this hobby was, so I printed out the page with a small map and info about the cache that was in a cemetery down the road from us. Long story short, I pulled up and parked directly in front of the grave site of my husband’s dad. (I always asked about his dad and he never really told me much about him.) After I realized I was at the cemetery where his dad was, I apologized and told him we could leave. His response was “you know what is even stranger about this?” I asked “what” and he said “today is my dad’s birthday”. Tearfully, I told him we would leave and he said “come on kiddos, it’s time to meet your grandpa”. We didn’t find the cache that day, but we had a wonderful time getting to know my father-in-law and grandfather that none of us was able to know.
Who usually goes with you when you go caching? Typically, myself and my husband (Boss Hog) but our kiddos LOVE to cache too.
How long will you work on puzzle caches before you give up? Per Boss Hog, “5 minutes” lol
What town/areas have you most enjoyed caching in? We enjoyed El Dorado and Smackover area, and of course the state parks. Other than that, any place we travel.

Do you do paperless caching? yes

What kind of geocaching rig do you use? Now, it’s a Toyota Scion but most memories were made in our van. We loaded it full of picnic supplies, tents and ice chests to accommodate our day long (and sometimes weekend) excursions.
Why would you recommend anyone else to take up geocaching? Geocaching fills every void you have. You need a way to bond with the family? Geocaching does it. You want a fun way to learn math, geography, history, etc.? Geocaching is your tool. Do you want to visit some of the coolest places on earth? Give geocaching a try.

Where are you originally from? 7 generations born and raised in Texarkana, AR

What was your first event ever attended? The meet and greet that I hosted at our local Pizza Inn, led by the great rklmbl, followed by Texarkana’s first CITO the next day.

How many caches have you found? 1042

Which type of cache container do you prefer over the rest? I really like the super unique ones. Those seem to have the best stories that you remember. Like, the one that was found in Kentucky having to crawl in the cock-pit of a staged plane crash in the mountain, or the big 5 gallon bucket found in the woods with hundreds of keys that you had to go through to find the one to unlock the container to get to the log.

What was the most famous cache that you have found? Probably the one at headquarters or the original cache location

Do you use disposable batteries or rechargeable batteries? disposable
Do you enjoy hiding or finding more as your part of the hobby? Both equally the same

Do you have a personal goal in mind when you make a hide? Ultimately, I want people to learn something they didn’t know before they leave.

What is your favorite type of cache hide? I really like the ones that are educational; not necessarily ones that have goodies in them, but one that made the finder feel they learned something neat at our town.

Out of all your hides, what are your personal favorites that you take pride in? I like the ones that my kiddos took part in creating. I love the fact that they are learning about life although they call it playing or having fun.

What do you think the proper hide to find ratio should be to keep the sport fresh? I don’t know if there is a proper number because some people are just creative and I wouldn’t want to take that talent from them, but I really do wish that people would quit doing so many log only caches in as many spots as they can because it makes it harder for those who put effort into it, to find a place to hide one.

What's your favorite geocache? Besides the experience of signing the log at GC Headquarters, I think the next one would be one that we found in Texas, Crystal Clear by Epiphany Wand, (GC4H1T6). The prize was a handmade wand that she added each time someone retrieved the one that was in the cache that you lowered out of a tree. Such time, thoughtfulness and creativity goes into each prize. She also attached a handwritten note to the wand that we found.

If money was no object, where would you like to go geocaching? Bora Bora happens to be the first place that comes to mind… but maybe that’s just because I need to go there for vacation.

Do you like geocaching by yourself or in a group? Definitely with my family.

How many First to Finds do you have? No more than 5

Are you a First to Find person who is always set on go and if so, how many miles out do you have your settings on to get notifications? We aren’t that type of person.

Do you have any other hobbies besides geocaching? Anything to do with family: camping, crafting, working our concession stand, playing games at home, and laughing uncontrollably at the crazy antics Boss Hog (aka, dad/husband) does.